Eugene Verne
Eugene "Gene" Verne was an Apicartan doctor. He served as the royal physician to King Tristan Stirling. Upon his failure to save Tristan after he was shot by an assassin, he was demoted to court physician and relegated to Carthmere Castle. He is best known for having been the secret lover of Queen Laura Stirling, and potentially the father of her son Richard and daughter Eleanor. Appearance and Personality At 6 feet 4 inches, Eugene is taller than average, with most of his height being in his long legs. He is broad-chested and well built; he often shows off his physique with undone shirts that bare his hairy chest. His complexion is pale and he usually has dark circles under his eyes from lack of proper sleep. He has curly auburn hair, a long face, arched eyebrows, a hooked nose, thin lips, and a pointed chin. At first impression, one would never guess Eugene holds one of the most important and serious offices in the land. He is most often found in taverns or at wild parties, where he drinks a great deal, tells bawdy jokes, and dances on tables well into the early hours of the morning. This behavior may make him more likable, but it puts a great deal of strain on his other commitments. It's a miracle he's been able to keep his job for this long. While he isn't promiscuous, he will use his natural charms on women to get what he wants. On the rare occasion his charisma fails to convince, he is at a loss. His ability to manipulate is surface-level at best; he himself is quite easily manipulated into doing the bidding of others through guilt and blackmail. He is spineless and kowtows to the whims of those in power without putting up a fight. But Eugene's true value, both as a doctor and as a person, is in his capacity to shoulder burdens and play the role of trusted confidante. He may not be able to cure every ailment, but he has an excellent bedside manner and a willingness to do anything to help those in need. This, more so than any other allure, is what makes him endearing. His nickname is "Gene". Biography Early Life Eugene Verne was born the illegitimate son of Burgess Verne, a war hero known for his exploits during the conquest of Kataru. His mother died when he was very young. He remembers little about her except that she was a teenager when he was born and had blonde hair. He has a half-sister, Hera, who is about six years younger than him. She goes by her mother's surname, O'Leary, and grew up estranged from their father, who was not interested in his daughters so much as his sons. Eugene was a studious child. His father arranged for him to be taught by a private tutor, and he later attended the Royal Academy, the most prestigious school in the country. He excelled in his classes and was set to graduate early, but his high marks began to suffer as he slacked off in favor of partying. He was kicked out during his senior year. Unable to finish school at the Academy, he boarded a ship and set sail for Eltenia, where he completed medical training. While travelling as a ship's doctor, the ship was attacked by pirates. Eugene survived because the pirates needed a doctor; the rest of the crew was killed and their property was taken as spoils. Eugene spent an extended amount of time with the pirates, primarily because his attempts at requesting his father's help were either ignored or never reached their destination. He eventually escaped while they were docked at the port town of Overbay, but was forced to flee to Carthmere after he became concerned he would be recaptured. Royal Physician King Tristan was looking for an experienced physician to serve him and his family. Having been disappointed by previous doctors, he discovered Eugene by chance and immediately employed him. Named the royal physician to the king, Eugene accompanied Tristan wherever he went. However, Eugene was often unavailable, or at least not working at full capacity, when the king needed him due to his bad habits. The final blow occurred when, while the king was visiting the house of Lord Gavin Zosimus, he was shot by an assassin. Eugene was not present at the scene because he had spent the previous night drinking and partying at a local tavern. The delay caused by his hangover wouldn't have made much of a difference, as Tristan's wounds were mortal, but that didn't prevent Eugene from being partially blamed for his death. Tristan's heir, Aldous, liked Eugene despite his failure to save his father and kept him on, albeit demoted to "court physician", a role far less demanding and with a significantly lower salary and status. While Aldous was away during the War of Succession, Eugene remained at Carthmere Castle, where it was his duty to attend to the various members of the court there. For the duration of the war, he tended to the servants and courtiers at Carthmere. Shortly after the arrival of Laura Zosimus, however, he was approached by Princess Helen, Aldous' sister. She had received news that Aldous intended to marry Laura after the war was over. She wanted to get to know the girl better, but they had gotten off on the wrong foot and Laura was now avoiding her at every turn. Thus, Helen tasked Eugene with befriending Laura on her behalf and delivering information about her to the princess. Eugene was reluctant to accept, but agreed in exchange for Helen providing his sister Hera with a job at the palace. It soon became apparent that Helen's intentions were more nefarious, as she intended to use the information Eugene gained as leverage to manipulate Laura. Likewise, his attempts at gathering data had resulted in him becoming emotionally involved with the girl. Thankfully, Laura was a devout Vormundist, and thus was willing to end their relationship before things got out of hand - at least, for a time. As the War of Succession began to wind down, Laura became increasingly fearful and desperate for a way out. She turned to Gene with a strange, out of character request - that he either perform a procedure or sleep with her, either of which would cause her to fail an upcoming medical examination meant to determine her virginity. Gene assured her that it was unnecessary and warned her against lying about her maidenhood. Once his enemies were defeated, Aldous returned to Carthmere and married Laura. But it wasn't long before he embarked on another military campaign, this one an invasion of Exekias. Dubbed the Fifth Exekian War, the conquest had genocide as its goal and was deliberately timed to coincide with the Exekians' kluuda, or mating cycle. While many people, including Eugene, were horrified by it, Aldous garnered enough support to launch his planned invasion, dragging the pregnant Laura along with him. Concerned for her well-being, Eugene joined the war party as Laura's personal doctor. ~More to be added later~ After a meeting with Princess Lucia of Thun, Laura changed her mind and decided to consummate her love for Gene in secret. The affair was only discovered after their deaths, as the couple were found lying in bed together after falling gravely ill during a vacation in which Gene accompanied the queen as her personal physician. Gene caught a sickness from one of his other patients, and subsequently transferred it to Laura through sexual contact. Category:Humans Category:Servants